Iviachine-gun



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. S. WHITNEY.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 311,551. Patented Feb. 3, 18851 N PETERS. Phow-Limographur. Wauhinglmn o c.

2 Sheets-81115552.

(No Model.)

J. S. WHITNEY.

MACHINE GUN.

.Zzvenim v N. PETER; Phamumo mvme. Wishinglon. m.

UNrran STATES PATENT Erica.

JAMES S'. WHITNEY, OF LOYVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,551, dated February 3, 1885.

Application filed July 10, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. WHITNEY, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine Battery-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the means of so revolving the barrels of a battery machinegun that one barrel may be loaded, one fired, and the discharged shell extracted from a third barrel simultaneously, and that the barrels, while the firing, loading, and extracting are taking place, shall be at rest and absolutely prevented from moving; and it also relates to the construction of the parts.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of my machine at the breech end of the gun, just cnlar ratchet.

at the rear of the arm of the firing-plunger. Fig. 2 is a detached elevation of the hinged reciprocating yoke, cam, gears, pawl, and cir- Fig. 3 is avertical central longitudinal section of the gun. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively face and side views of the stopcam and stop-roll. Fig. 6 is a horizontal central longitudinal section of the gun through the loading and extracting plungers.

E is aheavy stationary breech-piece, solid enough to resist the recoil of the cartridge. The barrels 5, four in number, are secured at the breech in a circle, at equal intervals, about the barrel-shaft L, to the circular plate 9, which is secured to said shaft L, the rear end ofsaid shaft being supported by and turning in the breech-piece, and the front end of said shaft being supported by the frame of the gun in the usual manner.

The shaft L is revolved by the following means: A gear,O, secured to said shaft, takes into a gear, 0, which turns loosely on the crank-shaft Z, the latter being turned at a uniform rate of speed by the crank N in the hands of an attendant at the rear of the gun, the crank-shaft Z being parallel to the barrelshaft L, and immediately below the same. The revolution of the crank-shaft causes the eccentrio-cam H, fixed to said shaft Z, to revolve within the reciprocating yoke P, (hinged at R to the stand 0, the latter being attached to the casing, as shown in Fig. 1,) and thereby swings said yoke P during one half of the revolution of said cam H in one direction, and

(No model.)

during the other half of the revolution ofsaid cam in the other direction. \Vhile the yoke P is swinging to the left, as represented in Fig. 2, it carries the pawl E (hinged to said yoke P) against one of the eight teeth of the internally-toothed circular ratchet G, (loosely turning on the crank shaft Z,) causing said ratchet to revolve in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, one-eighth of the circumference of sai d ratchet. Now the gear C, having twice as many teeth as the ratchet G, and also twice as many teeth as the gear 0, (already mentioned as being secured to the barrel-shaft L,) is concentrically secured to said ratchet G, being cast in one piece with it. and it is evident that when the yoke P swings to the left once, carrying the ratchet G around one-eighth of its circumference, the gear 0 and the barrel-shaft L must make a quarter of a revolution. cam H be revolved far enough it will again swing the yoke P to the right, Fig. 2, and that the pawl IE will be drawn back to take another tooth of the ratchet G, the pawl E being forced outward into the teeth of said ratchet by a coiled spring, I, placed between said yoke and said pawl, so that during one half of a revolution of the crankshaft the barrel-shaft makes a quarter of a revolution, and during the other half revolution of the crankshaft the barrel-shaft rests. To prevent the *reverse motion of the pawl E from moving the ratchet G and gears C G backward, a roll, D, (fluted to receive the circular part of the stopcam D,) is secured to the barrel-shaft, while the stop-cam D is secured to the crankshaft immediately below said stop-roll. This stopcam is substantially a half-circle or three-quarters of a circle. The fintes in the stop roll D are four in number, of equal size, and separated from each other by equal intervals. It is evident that when the upper circular part of the stop-cam D is in one of theflutes of the roll' D, as shown in Fig. 4, the latter cannot be revolved, and can only be revolved when the cam D clears the flutes of the roll D, so that said roll must be set 011 the barrel-shaft It is also evident that if the in such a position that when the pawlE is imshell it rises over said rim.

the cam one of the barrels is immediately above and another immediately below the barrelshaft, while the other two barrels are on oppcsite sides of said barrel-shaft and the stop roll and the barrels are in this position when the barrels are being loaded and being fired and when the empty cartridge-shell is being extracted, these three operations being performed simultaneously, one of the three operations upon each of the three upper barrels, the barrel immediately below the central or barrel shaft being idle while in that position. The loading B and extracting plungers B are cylindrical, and are on opposite sides of the other a right-hand groove, and each grooveat each end leading into a straight groovethat is, a groove at right angles to the crank-shaft Zthe whole forming a continuous groove,as shown in Fig. 6 at V. Into this groove V projects from one of the plungers, B, a pin,Q, so that turning the crank N throws the plungers B B alternately to and from the barrels. Each of said'plnngers terminates in a circle at the front end, and the loading-plunger B pushes forward the lowest cartridge M in an inclined feed-trough, 12, into the breech of the barrel bZWhile the extractingplunger B is removing the discharged cartridge-shell from the opposite barrel. The extracting-plunger B is provided with a lever, S, let into the side of said plunger B and pivoted thereto near the middle of said lever, and the front end of said le- Ver is notched (see Fig. 6) to grasp the rim of the cartridgeshell, and the extreme front end of said lever S is beveled on the under or in ner side, so that when it strikes the rim of the N ow when the extracting-plunger is drawn back by the further revolution of the cylinder X, the shell is drawn back until the rim strikes the shoulder J, which cants the shell alittle,and at the same time the beveled rear end of thelever S strikes the incline 5 and lifts the notched end of said lever from said rim, causing the shell to swing out through an opening in the casing at 8 in Figs. 1 and 6. The firing-plungerA is crowd ed forward by the spring 11 throwing the point of the firing-pin against the shell in discharging the latter. This plunger A is drawn back by a circular incline, K, attached to the back of the revolving cylinder X, and running under an armfiV, of said plunger extending from said plunger toward the center of the cylinder X. That straight part of the groove V which is nearest the rear of the cylinder X allows time for the cartridges M to fall in the feed-trough 12 in Fig. 1, and the other straight part of said groove V is to hold the plunger B against the rear of the cartridge M in the barrel b, Fig. 6, until the barrels have begun to revolve, in order that said cartridge may not slide back when the gun is elevated and prevent the revolution of the barrels, the cartridge being prevented from falling back after the barrels have begun to revolve by the front face of the breech-piece.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination ofthe hinged reciprocating yoke P, provided with the pawl E, the eccentric cam H, attached to the shaft Z, the shaft Z, the gears O G,one of said gears,G, being secured to the barrel-shaft L and the other gear, 0, being secured to the ratchet G, the barrelshaft L, and the ratchet G, as and for thcpurpose specified.

2. The combination ofthe barrels b the barrel-shaft L, and the fluted stop-roll D with the crank-shaft Z, and the stop-cam D, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the hinged recipro eating yoke P, provided with the pawl E, the

eccentric cam H, attached to the shaft Z, the

shalt Z, the gears C O,one of said gears,0, being secured to the barrel-shaft L and the other gear, 0, being secured to the ratchet G, the barrel-shaft L, the ratchet G, the cylinder X,

provided with the cam-groove V, the plungers B B, each of said plungers being provided with a rack, l and 3,and one of said plunger-s, B, being provided with the pin Q,and the pinion 2, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the extracting-plunger B, the lever S, pivoted thereto, and provided with anotch at the front end and a bevel at the rear end, and the casing provided with the shoulder J, and opening 8, as and for the purpose specified.

JAMES S. XVHITNEY.

Witnesses:

ALBERT M. MOORE, HENRY BOYD.

lOO 

